Many students will be spending their summers preparing for the start of their freshman year in college. From saying goodbye to childhood friends and shopping for supplies, heading off to college can cause a great deal of physical and emotional distress for students and their parents. When it is time for your child to move in to their dorm for the first time, you will feel overwhelmed. Although preventing these emotions is impossible, you can make the day less heart-wrenching and stressful. Here are a few days to help make the moving day a bit easier.
Think Within the Box
One of the worst mistakes you can make when purchasing items for your child's dorm is to think outside the box. If there was ever a time you should not be creative, it is when shopping for the dorm. Avoid buying big, beautiful pieces of furniture, lavish décor, and items you "have heard" are necessary and items you have "seen advertised" because these items are both not needed and problematic.
Wait until you have a chance to tour a dorm room and see the actual size of this space, the hallways, and the doorways. You should also wait for a list from the actual college to determine what will be permitted and what is prohibited.
Certain pieces of furniture may seem helpful, but they may not even fit in the small box known as your child's dorm. Also, avoid candles and many household appliances. Even though they may seem pretty and functional, these items may not even be allowed.
Hire Movers – In Advance
Most parents feel they have plenty of time to plan their child's move into college. Unfortunately, this procrastination may be your way of pushing off the inevitable, which can become a problem if you are relying on professionals to transport and haul your child's belongings into their dorm.
Hiring long-distance moving services in advance is essential, especially since the summer season is the busiest time for moving companies. Even if you learn the date your child can move into their dorm months ahead of time, contact the movers and get the task on schedule.
Start Saying Goodbyes Now
First and foremost, you need to understand that you will hopefully see your child again. Therefore, you do not need a long goodbye full of hugs and tears.
Hopefully, you have spent a great deal of time with your child, making long-lasting memories all through their life. Plan a wonderful vacation with the entire family, lots of parties and gatherings, and just enjoy some special time together at home.
In addition to reducing the sadness of the goodbye in front of their dorm, starting the goodbyes well before move-in day will make the actual move less physically demanding. This can actually reduce the fee you have to pay your movers, since many of these professionals charge by the hour.
